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CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

Knight

Data streams across my screens, lines of code and network patterns forming a complete picture of what the virus’s true intention is. Victor stands at my shoulder, pointing out the sequences he was forced to design. Normally, having someone in my space while I work is enough to put them on my hit list. But with Victor? It’s different.

He taught me how to break into systems with more finesse when I thought I was good at hacking. Then he showed me how wrong I was. He’s the guy who turned me from a cocky hacker into someone who could rip apart systems like this without breaking a sweat. The man who trained me in everything from basic penetration testing to advanced system dismantling is now helping me tear through his own architecture.

“There.” Victor taps the screen with one finger. “That sequence—I wrote it to mask their data transfers at the facility where they held us. See how the packet size has tripled here?”

“Amateur move,” I mutter, expanding the sequence. “Efficient for about five minutes until someone like me gets their hands on it.”

Victor snorts quietly, his version of a laugh. “I’d call it elegant under pressure.”

“More like rushed and sloppy.” I smirk, half expecting him to elbow me for that one. Instead, he just points to another stream, completely unruffled.

“This one is more interesting. See how it syncs with external nodes? They’re using a decentralized architecture to minimize detection. It looks random but isn’t.”

I glance at him, eyebrow raised. “Your work?”

“Modified. Sloppily,” he adds with a pointed look.

I grin. “Good thing they didn’t hire you for quality control.”

Eva steps closer. “What exactly are you two doing?”

I lean back slightly, so she can see the screen. Not that she has the first clue what she’s looking at. “Hacking into their systems. You know, just a little light cybercrime to start the morning.”

Victor, ever the professional, doesn’t bother with sarcasm. “We’re tracking their data transfers to find their main facility. They’ve hidden it well, but not well enough.”

Eva glances between us.

I tap the screen with one finger. “We’re finding the breadcrumbs they tried to sweep under the digital rug. Thanks to Victor’s ... let's call it artisanal expertise , I’ve got a backdoor into their network.”

Victor’s eyebrow twitches, the closest he’ll ever get to rolling his eyes at me. “The backdoor exists because they rushed implementation, which gave me a way to make mistakes. If they’d had more time?—”

I smirk. “If they’d had more time, they’d still lose to me.”

“Careful, boy. Pride has a way of catching up with people.”

“Not me.” I pull up more streams. “There. Their traffic is routing through this industrial complex.” I bring up satellite imagery of the site. “Three buildings, but based on power consumption, only two are active. That’s where they’re running their operation.”

Victor leans closer. “Let me see the nodes.”

I switch screens, bringing up the detailed logs. Victor’s eyes narrow as he studies them, his focus reminding me of the hundreds of hours I spent watching him work back when he was teaching me.

“This one.” He points to a node. “It’s routing encrypted data packets every six hours. Regular updates. It’s their core server cluster.”

“Looks like someone’s still got it.” I smirk.

Bishop looks up from the bag he’s rummaging through. “Can you trace it further?”

My brothers returned an hour ago with what we need for the infiltration—weapons, tactical gear, proper equipment this time. Eva's been alternating between checking on Michael and watching us work. Her quiet presence beside me has become familiar in ways I hadn't expected.

“Not without setting off every alarm in their system.” I pull up a map of the site. “But I’ve got their security feeds, power usage logs, and delivery manifests. They’ve been ramping up operations for months—servers, cooling equipment, the works.”

“Entry points?” Rook asks.

“Loading dock on the east side. Maintenance access through underground parking. The sub-level is where the servers are, no doubt.” I highlight the routes on the map. “It’s locked down with keycards and biometrics, but their surveillance system is isolated. Easy to loop without triggering alarms.”

Victor nods, his approval subtle but clear. “Their internal security isn’t designed for an intrusion like this. They’ll be expecting system breaches, not a physical one.”

Eva leans closer, resting one hand on my shoulder, while she looks at the screen. “So, you can disable their cameras without them noticing?”

“Disable, no. But I can make them think nothing is happening. Same difference.”

I’m fairly certain she wants to smile at that, but she manages to hide it. “So … you can break in?”

“I already have, my body just needs to catch up with my code. The question is how much damage we’re going to do once we’re inside.”

“What about patrols?” Bishop, ever the strategist, asks.

“Same as before. Disciplined but predictable. Shift changes, standard patrol routes. They’re thorough, but they’re not anticipating unconventional tactics.”

Victor studies the schematics. “Their guards are better than they were when I was taken, but the focus is still external. Their monitoring is layered but not impenetrable.”

“And that,” I say, flicking back to their camera network, “is where we make it hurt. Their surveillance runs on an isolated feed. It’s harder to breach, but once we do, looping it will be easy.”

Bishop traces a route on the schematics. “Underground parking gives us cover. Maintenance tunnels connect the buildings, and sub-level access is straightforward if you can bypass their locks.”

Victor nods. “We loop their cameras, neutralize their guards, and take the servers.”

“Copy what we can,” I add, my tone colder now. “Destroy the rest. They won’t get to use any of it.”

Eva watches quietly, but her tension is palpable. She’s not a hacker or a strategist, but she knows what’s at stake. This isn’t just about her brother anymore. It’s about stopping these people from doing it to anyone else.

“They’re clearing out fast,” I say, pulling up the latest logs. “Trucks in and out, stripping the place clean. If we don’t move tonight, they’ll be gone.”

Bishop doesn’t hesitate. “We hit them during the 10 P.M. shift change. Rook and I will handle resistance. Can you take the servers, or do you need back up?”

“I should be okay.” My fingers move faster across the keyboard as I finalize the protocols. Victor’s presence at my side sharpens my focus.

“You’ve come a long way,” he says.

I smirk. “Thanks, Dad.”

He snorts.

My grin widens, but I don’t push it. Not because I’m afraid of his reaction—but because we have bigger things to deal with.

The facility might look like any other industrial site from the outside, but inside, they’re gearing up to disappear with everything they’ve stolen.

And I’m not about to let that happen.